A day after he was named a defendant in a sexual abuse lawsuit, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter brushed his shoulders off Monday night and walked the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of Mufasa: The Lion King.
The embattled hip-hop mogul joined wife Beyoncé and daughter Blue Ivy Carter, who both have voice roles in the animated film.
Beyoncé plays Nala, while Blue Ivy voices Kiara, the daughter of Nala and King Simba (played by Donald Glover).
The movie is a music-filled prequel to the 2019 blockbuster film, The Lion King.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) directed the prequel. Tony Award-winning Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote original songs the movie.
Related: After ‘Mufasa’ Barry Jenkins Is Done Directing Computer-Generated Movies
The cast and the team behind the film excitedly discussed the project with reporters on the red carpet.
But all eyes immediately turned to Jay-Z when he arrived.
The hip-hop mogul was accused in a civil lawsuit on Sunday, Dec. 8, of raping a 13-year-old girl at an MTV Video Music Awards afterparty hosted by Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2000.
The federal lawsuit was originally filed in October by attorney Tony Buzbee on behalf of an anonymous “Jane Doe” accuser in the Southern District of New York.
The initial complaint listed Diddy as a defendant and alleged the Bad Boy Records founder took turns raping the accuser with an unnamed male celebrity, while an unnamed female celebrity watched.
Buzbee filed an amended complaint in federal court on Sunday that named Jay-Z as the unnamed male celebrity.
Jay-Z immediately released a lengthy statement lashing out at Buzbee.
“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree?,” the statement read. “I have no idea how you have come to be such a deplorable human Mr. Buzbee, but I promise you I have seen your kind many times over. I’m more than prepared to deal with your type.”
“Only your network of conspiracy theorists, fake physics, will believe the idiotic claims you have levied against me that, if not for the seriousness surrounding harm to kids, would be laughable,” Jay-Z added.
Buzbee fired back with his own statement on social media, saying Jay-Z has tried to “bully” him and the accuser.
“Regarding the Jay Z case and his efforts to silence my clients: Mr. Carter previously denied being the one who sued me and my firm. He filed his frivolous case under a pseudonym. What he fails to say in his recent statement is my firm sent his lawyer a demand letter on behalf of an alleged victim and that victim never demanded a penny from him. Instead, she only sought a confidential mediation,” Buzbee wrote
“Since I sent the letter on her behalf, Mr. Carter has not only sued me, but he has tried to bully and harass me and this plaintiff. His conduct has had the opposite impact. She is emboldened,” Buzbee said.
The attorney has filed dozens of lawsuits against Diddy and said he is preparing at least 120 complaints against the mogul.
Diddy has denied all of the allegations in the lawsuits, and on Sunday his legal team issued a new statement to the media about Buzbee’s latest complaint.
“This amended complaint and the recent extortion lawsuit against Mr. Buzbee exposes his barrage of lawsuits against Mr. Combs for what they are: shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs. As his legal team has said before, Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor,” the statement read.
Diddy was arrested on Sept. 16 in New York City on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
He is currently jailed in Brooklyn’s notorious Metropolitan Detention Center, after being denied bail by three different judges. His trial is scheduled to begin on May 5, 2025.
